Under federal law, an offensive touch can count as “violence.”

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Under federal law, it’s a crime for someone convicted of a
felony or a misdemeanor domestic violence offense to possess a firearm or
ammunition. (States have their own laws that may also prevent one from having a
gun.) A misdemeanor in the federal firearm context generally qualifies as domestic violence if,
first, it involves:

physical force

an attempt to use physical force, or

a threat to use a deadly weapon.

Second, to be a domestic violence crime, the defendant must generally:

be the victim’s current or former spouse,
parent, or guardian

share a child with the victim

live with or have lived with the victim as a
spouse, parent, or guardian, or

In March of 2014, the Supreme Court cleared up the meaning
of “domestic violence” in the context of the federal firearm-possession law. The Court determined that
the term “force” doesn’t mean violent force. Instead, “force” applies to both
violent acts and offensive touching. (United States v. Castleman, 12-1371 (2014).) In that way, domestic
violence, like the traditional crime of battery,
doesn’t necessarily involve violence.

The Court
noted that most assaults committed between people in intimate relationships are
relatively minor—for instance, pushing, grabbing, and slapping. Under the court’s
decision, these kinds of acts—even if they don’t cause any injury and are
merely offensive rather than violent—constitute domestic violence. In fact,
even an unsuccessful attempt to touch a victim offensively can now constitute a
domestic violence offense that bars the defendant from later possessing a gun.